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Detail

This is the fourth and final report from the Independent Monitoring Commission on the progress made in the two year programme of security normalisation begun in August 2005. The monitoring is undertaken in the light of two considerations: an assessment of the paramilitary threat, and the British Government’s obligation to ensure the safety and security of the community as a whole. The Commission believes the Provisional IRA is committed to the political path and has abandoned terrorism and violence. Dissident republican groups, however, continue to pose a threat to both the security forces and the community at large. Loyalist paramilitaries do not pose a threat, though the Commission notes that the UDA has made no progress in decommissioning weapons. The security normalisation is examined under several headings: the use of military in support of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; the repeal of counter-terrorist legislation particular to Northern Ireland; the police estate; and patterns of police patrolling. Of particular note is the fact that, for the second year running, the parades of 12 July were policed without the need for military assistance. Various annexes detail the closure of towers, observation posts, and military bases, and the monthly troop levels and military helicopter use in Northern Ireland over the two year period. Overall, the Commission finds that the requirements of the programme have been met.

This paper was laid before Parliament in response to a legislative requirement or as a Return to an Address and was ordered to be printed by the House of Commons.